Business Communications II

MINOR ASSIGNMENT: Media Literacy

Look back the 'Company Analysis' section of your first assignment. Find a current (last 12 months) news article relevant to your company. Make sure the article is not too short.

Deliverable: Complete a short analysis of the article. Use the questions below as your guide. 200-500 words.

Questions to ask yourself when assessing a source of information (news article, blog, social media post, video):

Author:

o  Who is the author? Who do they work for? Do they do any advocacy? Are they tied to any political groups? What have they written previously?

o  What has been written about the author and/or platform?

o  Can you identify any potential conflicts of interest?

Language:

o  Is the language overly sensational or emotional?

o  Are they clearly trying to provoke an emotional response?

o  Is the language precise or vague?

Content:

o  Are sources named?

o  Have they used statistics?

o  Have they quoted reputable experts?

Transparency:

o  Does the article have a publish date? An author byline?

o  Are any conflicts of interest disclosed?

o  Where does the publication gets its funding?

o  Does the publication clearly state its purpose?

o  Does the publication disclose its standards and practices?(See CBC JournalisticStandards & Practices)

o  Does the publication have a policy regarding corrections and complaints? Is it public?

o  Is it clear where the information is coming from (government data, interviews with experts, first-hand accounts, etc)?

o  Are there anonymous or unnamed sources? If so, why? Is it clear why these sources are anonymous or unnamed?

Accuracy and fairness:

o  Are there spelling and/or grammar mistakes?

o  Are there any obvious reporting errors (facts that are easy to look up)?

o  Has the article/post/video made an attempt to address all major sides of an issue?

o  Are contradictory voices included in the article/post/video? Source: Ana Komnenic